Lot 73: Shane Michael Couch (b.1963)

Shane Michael Couch (b.1963)
The first defence of the America's Cup, 8th August 1870: Magic rounding Sandy Hook light vessel
signed 'Shane Michael Couch' (lower left)
oil on canvas
12 x 18 in. (30.5 x 45.7 cm.)

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A few American yachts came to Cowes after 1851 but none was able to emulate America's triumph in that memorable year. In the summer of 1868 however, the brand new schooner Sappho (see lot 79 for her portrait) arrived off Cowes determined to repeat America's success and, as the largest yacht built in the United States up until that date, great things were expected of her. Designed and built by C. & R. Poillon of Brooklyn for Colonel W.P. Douglas, Sappho displaced 310 tons and measured 135 feet overall with a 27 foot beam. In her first race around the Isle of Wight she was soundly beaten by Cambria, an equally new British yacht owned by Mr. James Ashbury, a member of the Royal Thames Club and a wealthy enthusiast who had made his fortune with an innovatory railway carriage. Cambria, designed and built by Michael Ratsey, displaced 228 tons and measured 108 feet overall, with a 21 foot beam. In fact, Sappho was hardly at her best since she was still in her ocean rig after the North Atlantic crossing and was also carrying several tons of stone ballast from the trip; nevertheless it was a resounding victory for Cambria. Other wins followed, making the 1868 season a brilliant one for her and, by the late summer, Mr. Ashbury had convinced himself that Cambria could beat anything afloat. Seizing his chance to restore the supremacy of British yachting, and thereby immeasurably improve his own rather poor social status, he decided to challenge the New York Yacht Club to a series of matches, one of which was to be for the so-called 'America's Cup' won in 1851.

Initially the New York Yacht Club declined to accept the challenge on the basis that it could only do so from a Club rather than an individual. A protracted exchange of correspondence then ensued between the protagonists which eventually resulted in the first official challenge for the trophy in 1870. In the event, the New York Yacht Club was less than fair to Ashbury and forced him to race alone against no less than twenty-three of its boats including Magic, Dauntless, Idler and the ageing but still formidable legend America. The hot favourite to win was Magic and, despite the fact that she was significantly smaller than Cambria in every respect, this optimism proved correct when the crucial race finally took place on 8th August (1870). Owned by Franklin Osgood, Magic had been designed for him by R.F. Loper and built by T. Byerly & Son. Displacing 112.2 tons, she measured 84 feet in length with a 21 foot beam and carried a fairly modest 1,680 square feet of sail (lowers only). The 35-mile course for this first challenge had been agreed and was basically a dash from the N.Y.Y.C.'s clubhouse at Clifton, Staten Island, through the Narrows to Spit buoy, around the Sandy Hook lightship and back.

Cambria made a poor start compared to Magic and several of the other defenders and, gradually increasing her lead, Magic romped home fully eight minutes ahead of Cambria and, in the words of one commentator, 'immediately achieved a national reputation.'